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Photograph What You Feel, and Feel What You Photograph

“Let us say what we feel, and feel what we say; let speech harmonize with life.” – Seneca

For me, photography is all about self-expression, and shooting with your soul.

Often we photograph what we think others might find “interesting”, and what others might “like” on social media.

However, I feel the better strategy is this — photograph what you feel. Photograph with your heart and soul. Photograph what is personal to you.

Not only that, but feel your own photographs. When you look back at your old photos, do they stir emotions, memories, and feelings in your heart? Or do they do nothing for you?

A 2-step approach to personal photography

Berlin, 2015 #cindyproject

For me, I try following this two-step approach:

Shoot with my heart

Only choose to keep the photos that I feel with my heart

Shooting with your heart means to photograph based on your guts and instinct. It means being true to yourself, and only photographing what you find interesting; disregarding what others might find “interesting.”

Secondly, deciding which photos to keep and which photos to ditch is important. In today’s digital world, there is a glut and overwhelming amount of photos being uploaded. Are you only keeping the few photos that are meaningful, or are you just sharing everything?

Transmit your feelings to your viewer

Dalat, Vietnam 2016 #cindyproject

So long story short, photograph what you feel, and feel what you photograph. The more you shoot according to how you feel, the more likely you are to convey that feeling to your viewer.